College Football Players Deserve a Share of the Spoils

Here's how to compensate players and maybe even get them to stay in school and study for a nonfootball career.

By

Karl Borden

Jan. 23, 2014 7:13 p.m. ET

The National Football League announced on Sunday that a record 98 college-football underclassmen, including Texas A&M's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, are making themselves eligible for the NFL draft in May. Why the rush to quit college ball? Because the sooner players get to the NFL and sign the relatively modest rookie contract required by the league's collective-bargaining agreement, the sooner the athletes get to a second, much more lucrative contract.